Besant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The founding heritage of the Besant family is in the Anglo-Saxon culture that once dominated in Britain. The name Besant comes from when one of the family worked as a coiner or minter. The name is derived from a coin called the byzantius, whose name is derived from the city of Byzantium, where they were minted. The word is derived from the "Middle English besant, besand, the Old French besan, pluralized as besanz, which in turn was derived from the Latin byzantius (nummus), meaning a gold coin." 1

"A bisaunt, bezant, or bizantine was an old coin both in gold and silver, and so called from having been minted at Byzantium. The silver bezant passed current for as. or thereabouts." 2

Early Origins of the Besant family

The surname Besant was first found in London, England where Leftwin Besant was recorded 1147-1168. He was listed as a "moneyer" in the Pipe Rolls of 1168. Later, Robert Besant was listed in Clerkenwell, London in 1186-1192 and the Pipe Rolls of 1195. 1

Early History of the Besant family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Besant research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1168, 1194, 1748, 1752, 1776, 1800, 1828, 1836, 1870, 1879, 1901 and 1917 are included under the topic Early Besant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Besant Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Besant has been spelled many different ways, including Besant, Besaynt, Bezant, Bessant, Besand, Beasant, Bessent, Beazant, Bayzand, Beszant, Bassant, Bassent and many more.

Early Notables of the Besant family

Distinguished members of the family include

Robert Besant, Sheriff of London in 11942...
Sir Walter Besant (1836-1901), was a distinguished English novelist and historian...
William Henry Besant (1828-1917) was his brother, and another brother, Frank, was the husband of Annie Besant...

Besant migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Besant Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Besant, British convict who was convicted in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England for life, transported aboard the "England" on 6th June 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Besant (post 1700) +

Sir Walter Besant (1836-1901), English novelist and historian from London
William Henry Besant FRS (1828-1917), British mathematician, brother of novelist Walter Besant
Derek Michael Besant RCA (b. 1950), Canadian artist living in Calgary, Alberta who has created prints, watercolours and large-scale art
Annie Besant (1847-1933), British theosophist, who worked with Charles Bradlaugh (1874 to 1888) in politics and free thought propaganda

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england